A FEW weeks ago an article appeared in your newspaper in which an appeal was made for volunteers to work in the Oxfam shop. I'd like to do the same for our very small, friendly and traditionally cluttered RSPCA charity shop, which is at the top of King Street in Tavistock.

Our volunteers make all the decisions to do with the shop. We do the sorting and pricing, the clearing out of old stock and the window display.

Nobody, including the manager, receives any sort of salary. No professional marketing expert is ever sent from the RSPCA to impose pricing levels or re-organise our displays. Out of our takings, we have to pay rent, a proportion of business rate, heating and lighting and a tiny sum for tea and coffee so that all the rest of the money we take goes to the RSPCA. All our stock is donated free; nothing is bought in.

There are many people who can't afford to buy new things, for whom the thought of Christmas expenses is really worrying, so we try to keep our prices low: 'pile it high and sell it cheap!' as someone said. We have lots of regular customers, some who come from Plymouth every week, as well as visitors who chance on the shop, to their glee at finding a charity shop that is run in the old-fashioned way.

Almost all the things we are given make money for the animals: we can sell unsold clothes and shoes, china and glass and small broken electrical items.

But we are quite often unable to open the shop because we don't have enough volunteers. Our shifts are 9.30am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm Monday to Saturday. People who would like to help don't have to commit themselves to a particular shift: they can do emergency cover, as I do, or give a couple of hours on an occasional Sunday morning to overhaul the stock or spring clean. If we had a greater number of volunteers everyone could do fewer hours and absences could be covered.

Above all, it's enjoyable. Customers are so pleased when they find the perfect outfit, ornament, game, lampshade or whatever at a price they are happy to pay that we feel happy too.

If people can spare some time they can contact me by phone on 01822 614821,

by email: [email protected]">[email protected] or by calling into the shop for an application form.

Jane Miller